Breath deflector



p 1951 c. E. DANIELSON 2,566,557

BREATH DEFLECTOR Filed Feb. 6, 1948 IN V E N T O R CLIFFORD E.-DANIELSON ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 4, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BREATH DEFLECTOR.

Clifford E. Danielson, Fargo, N. Dak.

Application February 6, 1948, Serial No. 6,586

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to breath deflectors and has for an. object to provide a breath deflector which may be worn comfortably by the user.

An. object of the invention resides in providing a breath deflector which does not require muscular effort to maintain the same in position.

Another object of the invention resides in providing a breath deflector which will not interfere with normal actions of the user and which will allow the user to talk or open his mouth and which will not cause excessive flow of saliva. or irritation in the mouth when used for extended periods of time.

A still further object of the invention resides in providing a breath deflector in which support is had by means of a mouth piece disposed between the upper lip and the gums of the upper jaw and above the teeth of the user.

An object of the invention resides in providing a breath deflector having a nose piece for engagement with the nose of user and operating in conjunction with the mouth piece to hold the deflector securely in position.

Another object of the invention resides in providing a breath deflector which may be easily and quickly adjusted to fit the particular features of the user.

An object of the invention resides in providing a breath deflector which will be light in weight.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter illustrated and/or described.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a breath deflector illustrating an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the breath deflector illustrated in Fig. 1 and applied to the person of the user.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the breath deflector shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

In the performance of the duties of doctors, dentists, barbers, nurses and beauticians, both the attendant and the attended become subject to the breath of the other. The instant invention overcomes this disadvantage in a simple and expeditious manner as will hereinafter appear.

The invention comprises a guard In which is adapted to partially cover the nose and mouth of the user and which serves to deflect the breath of the user in a backward and upward direction. The guard is carried by mounting l l which is adjustably secured to the guard. These parts will be described in detail.

The guard H] is preferably constructed of plastic sheet. material which is heated and formed.

into the desired shape. This guard has a body [2 triangular in form and which may be planiform as shown or slightly convex. This body has. a number of marginal portions including a base portion 13, lateral portions M, and which converge. toward each other and which merge into a,

The. mounting H is constructed from sheet.

metal which is cut and bent to form a mouth piece i9 and a stem 2! issuing. outwardly therefrom. Mouth piece I9 is in the. form of a band which is arch shaped and which is provided with two reaches 22 and. 23 extending. laterally ofv the mouth piece and in diverging relation. The mouth piece is inserted in the mouth of the user and is disposed between the upper lip and the gums of the upper jaw, the reaches 22 and 23 being bent to approximately lit the upper gum.

The stem 2| of the mounting II is in the form of a narrow ribbon which issues downwardly from the mouth piece 19. This stem has a portion 24 which is disposed between the upper lip of the user and the front teeth and is bent outwardly therefrom as indicated at 25 to provide a labial portion 26 which is offset from the mouth piece I!) and is disposed between the lips of the user extending outwardly of the mouth at the occlusal plane. At the end of the labial portion 26 of the stem 2| is a bend 2! which forms a depending portion 28. A loop 29 is formed at the lowermost end of the portion 28 which has issuing upwardly therefrom a shank 3|. The shank 3| is disposed mainly upon the interior of the guard I0 and passes through two spaced holes 32 and 33 pierced in the body l2 of said guard. The shank 3| lies inwardly of the portions 34 and 35 of the guard I0 immediately above and below the holes 32 and 33 and outwardly of the portion 36 of the body l2 between said holes. The guard H] is preferably constructed of somewhat resilient material and by means of the construction described acts on the shank 3! to hold the guard attached to the mounting II.

In the upper portion of the mouth piece I9 is formed a notch 31 which clears the labial frenum of the user and permits of wearing the device well up into the mouth.

To assist in supporting the breath deflector a nose piece 38 is provided at the upper portio of the guard In. This nose piece is formed by cutting a, notch 39 in the flange [8 which is adapted to fit the nose of the user.

In the use of the device the following is the procedure. The mounting H is prefabricated to fit the average person. If the mounting does not fit, the mouth piece I9 is altered to fit the arch of the jaw and the bends 25 and 21 and the loop 29 are altered to cause the portions 24, 26, 2B and the shank 3| to occupy proper relative positions. The mouthpiece I9 is preferably sprung forwardly a slight amount as shown in Fig. 4. The shank 3| of stem 2! is next applied to the guard ID by inserting said shank into the holes 32 and 33. inserted in back of the upper lip well above the upper teeth and with the portion 26 lying naturally between the lips without applying pressure thereto. Guard Ill is next adjusted so that the nose piece 38 rests upon the lower portion of the nose of the user. This springs back the mouth piece l9 to the normal position shown in Fig. 2. Due to the resiliency of the mounting II and due to the proximity of the nose piece 38 and mouth piece I9, reaction is hadbetween the outer surface of the nose and the inner surface of the upper lip which produces a slight pressure between the upper lip and nose causing the deflector to become supported independently of any physical exertion on the part of the user.

The advantages of the invention are manifest. The device can be constructed exceedingly light in weight so as to not encumber the user. My improved breath deflector can be manufactured at an economical cost. My invention offers maximum comfort to the user allowing him to speak, open and close his mouth and to perform such functions or duties as he may require. With my invention no excess of saliva will be caused to flow. No efiort is required on the part of the user to hold the device in place and no muscular strain is encountered in the use of the deflector.

The mouth piece I9 is then The deflector is completely out of the vision of user and may be worn by persons wearing glasses. The invention does not fog the glasses of the user. With my invention there are no bows or other loose and awkward parts to manipulate in the application of the device to the person of the wearer. My improved breath deflector may be readily adjusted to fit the features of the wearer both as to the shape of the mounting and the location of the guard thereon. With my invention the breath is positively deflected away from the patient and user without disturbing the normal breathing of the user. The device does not absorb odors or moisture and is highly sanitary.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein described, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention. 7

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

In a breath deflector a mounting including a mouth piece for application within the mouth of the user, a stem extending outwardly therefrom and terminating in a shank, and a guard constructed of resilient material having a body formed with spaced holes, said shank extending through said holes and underlying said body intermediate said holes and overlying said body outwardly of said holes to hold the guard attached to the shank, said guard extending ante'-, riorly of the mouth piece and transversely thereof to deflect the breath from the users nose.

CLIFFORD E. DANIELSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

